Motive power, just like about everything else in materials handling, is rapidly evolving. Lead-acid batteries, long the dominant battery type for electric lift trucks, are expected to cede share to lithium power by 2030, even though for many one-shift operations today, a lead-acid choice can still be a good one.
Just how rapidly lithium batteries are taking hold in the lift truck market is something research firm Interact Analysis has studied closely, looking at data through multiple angles, including forklift classes, countries and regions. The firm’s latest analysis finds that by 2030, 45% of the total forklift market, including combustion engines, will be powered by lithium batteries. Among all electric lift trucks, that share will be about 70%, says Maya Xiao, the senior analyst with Interact heading up the research.
“There are two overall directions the research shows,”…